Plus: Greece to vote on same-sex marriage, and Xi Jinping's never-ending corruption hunt
| | | | | | | Hello. We're reporting today on fresh comments from Joe Biden on the Israeli operation in Rafah - with the US president urging his ally to make "credible" efforts to protect civilians. In Athens, my colleague Mark Lowen is speaking to a couple of Greek mums who await a vote on same-sex marriage. Your newsletter has other stories on Chinese politics, Titanic artefacts and pop academia. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Biden says Israel must protect vulnerable in Rafah | | | | Some Gazans have left Rafah after Sunday night's Israeli operation. Credit: EPA |
| | A day after the Israeli operation that killed dozens of Palestinians and helped rescue two hostages in Rafah, the eyes of the international community remain focused on Gaza's southernmost city. US President Joe Biden on Monday evening said Israel must make "credible" efforts to protect the more than one million Palestinians sheltered in the south of the Strip. Another ally, the UK's Foreign Secretary David Cameron, urged Israel to "stop and think seriously" before taking further action in Rafah. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell went further, calling allies of Israel to stop sending weapons as "too many people were being killed in Gaza". The issue of exports was raised in the Netherlands on Monday when an appeals court ordered the Dutch government to block the delivery of parts for F-35 fighter aircraft over concerns they are being used to violate international law. Heads of the CIA and Israel's Mossad are meeting Qatar's prime minister on Tuesday in Cairo for further talks on a Gaza truce proposal, according to AFP. | | • | Rafah from above: Satellite imagery shows how Rafah, which had about 250,000 inhabitants before the 7 October attacks, became home to about 1.5 million Palestinians. Watch BBC Verify's report. | | • | Embedded with Gaza's paramedics: Local filmmaker Feras Al-Ajarmi documented the lives of emergency workers and volunteers under bombardment during the first month of the war. Watch his work here. | | • | Prisoner footage: The Israeli military told the BBC "significant command measures will be taken" against soldiers involved in footage of Palestinian detainees stripped, bound and blindfolded. This follows a BBC Verify investigation on videos of prisoners posted online. |
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| | | | | | | | AT THE SCENE | Athens, Greece | | Greece on the brink of legalising same-sex marriage | | The Greek parliament will vote on Thursday on a bill legalising same-sex marriage, introduced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Facing dissent from members of his own centre-right party, he will need to rely on support from the left-wing opposition to get it through. | | | | Mark Lowen, southern Europe correspondent |
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| | In her garden in northern Athens, four-year-old Niovi plays make-believe, selling cakes from her imaginary shop. For her two mums, Christina and Victoria, their dream may soon become real, as Greece stands on the brink of legalising same-sex marriage. After Niovi's birth in London, they tried to register her at the Greek embassy, but were rebuffed. "The commentary was, 'You should have thought before having her'," Christina recalls. "It was awful, I cried in the car for 45 minutes, I couldn't stop - it still brings bad memories," Victoria says, welling up with tears. "It's like being rejected by your country." On Thursday, Christina and Victoria will watch the vote in parliament. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Xi Jinping's never-ending corruption hunt | | | | High-level bankers and the elite nuclear rocket force have been hit my Mr Xi's latest anti-corruption crackdown. Credit: EPA |
| | Members of the Chinese elite disappearing from the public eye has become a trademark of President Xi Jinping's rule over the country. China correspondent Stephen McDonell explores what's behind the leader's many waves of anti-corruption crackdown - and whether it's actually working. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Facing death | | The changing popularity of the death mask speaks to how we think of the end of life. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | An exhibition in the English city of Bristol is displaying rare items from the Titanic shipwreck. The event director Tom Rudderham said that some of the pieces have never been put on display. Take a look. |
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| | | | | | US Election Unspun newsletter | | Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday to your inbox. | | |
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